HistoryExtra podcast
Episodes
The Ukrainian famine
18 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Anne Applebaum discusses her new book Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, which charts the events of the devastating 1932–33 f...
The Knights Templar
14 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In a special extended-length episode popular historian Dan Jones is joined by Dr Suzannah Lipscomb to discuss his new book The Templars, which explore...
William Marshal: the greatest knight
11 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In a talk from our 2015 History Weekend event, medieval historian Thomas Asbridge reflects on the remarkable career of William Marshal who served five...
The History Hot 100
07 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Greg Jenner and Joanne Paul join us to talk about the results of our 2017 History Hot 100 survey. We asked you to tell us which historical ...
Viking Britain
04 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to Thomas Williams of the British Museum about his new book Viking Britain: An Exploration, which offers a fresh take on several centuries of...
A deadly royal favourite?
31 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and broadcaster Benjamin Woolley explores the very close relationship between James VI and I and his favourite the Duke of Buckingham. He also ...
Queen Victoria behind closed doors
29 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Professor Jane Ridley reveals some lesser-known aspects of the 19th-century monarch’s life in a talk that she delivered at our ...
Friends or Enemies? Anglo-French relations
24 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historians Fabrice Bensimon and Renaud Morieux explore the complex relationship between France and Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was an e...
Migrating to Britain
21 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Clair Wills of Princeton University discusses her new book Lovers and Strangers, which explores the lives of people from across the globe who moved to...
The Jarrow March
17 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and BBC broadcaster Stuart Maconie reflects on the iconic 1936 protest against poverty and unemployment. He also describes his experiences of r...
Witchcraft through the ages
14 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to Professor Ronald Hutton about his new book The Witch, which reveals how societies throughout the globe have lived in fear of witchcraft fo...
Icelandic murder mystery
10 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to filmmaker Dylan Howitt, director of a new BBC Four documentary entitled Out of Thin Air, which explores the story of a double disappearanc...
China in World War Two
07 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Expert historians Hans van de Ven and Rana Mitter discuss China’s lengthy war against Japan and consider its impact on the country’s civil war and...
The Koh-i-Noor
03 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author William Dalrymple and BBC journalist Anita Anand join us to discuss their new history of the Koh-i-Noor, the famed Indian diamond...
Living through Partition
31 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We speak to Kavita Puri, presenter of the new BBC Radio 4 series Partition Voices, which tells the story of the turbulent birth of India and Pakistan ...
The lost objects of South Asia
27 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Kanishk Tharoor talks about the latest series of BBC Radio 4’s Museum of Lost Objects, which explores the heritage of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh...
The brilliance of Henry James
24 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In advance of a major new Henry James season on BBC Radio 4, Professor Sarah Churchwell explores the life and work of the great Anglo-American author,...
The English in America
20 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author James Evans talks to us about his new book Emigrants, which explains why hundreds of thousands of English people decided to make ...
Germany’s World War Two
18 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In a talk that he delivered at our recent World War Two event in Bristol, Professor Nicholas Stargardt reflects on how the Second World War was experi...
Voices of the Cold War
13 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We are joined by the BBC journalist Bridget Kendall who picks out some of the most fascinating stories that feature in her new book and Radio 4 series...
A legendary spymaster
10 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historical author Henry Hemming discusses the life and career of Maxwell Knight, an eccentric spymaster and nature enthusiast who may have inspired th...
Hans Sloane and the British Museum
06 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and historian James Delbourgo discusses his new book Collecting the World, which explores the life of the 18th-century natural historian Hans S...
Female flyers in Nazi Germany
03 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and biographer Clare Mulley discusses her new book The Women Who Flew for Hitler, which explores the lives of two remarkable women who became l...
Children at war
29 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Emma Butcher reflects on the experiences of child soldiers throughout history, ranging from Ancient Sparta to the Hitler Youth and recent co...
The Second World War
22 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
James Holland discusses the second book in his The War in the West trilogy with John Buckley, focusing on the years 1941-43. Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Jane Austen and Tudor London
15 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and broadcaster Lucy Worsley shares her thoughts on the Georgian novelist who is the subject of her new biography. Meanwhile, Professor Step...
Medieval manuscripts and the First World War
08 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Christopher de Hamel discusses his recent book Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts, which has just won the Wolfson History Prize. Meanwhile, we speak...
The Six-Day War and the Great Fire of London
01 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Matthew Hughes reflects on a brief, but hugely-important, Arab-Israeli conflict that began 50 years ago this month and continues to have an...
Civil wars and Restoration England
25 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Harvard professor David Armitage explores how internal conflicts have changed through history and considers what lessons can be learned for the wars o...
England’s bloody Reformation
18 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As we near the 500th anniversary of the European Reformation, Professor Peter Marshall explores how the events impacted on England. He explains how He...
Queen Victoria’s dinners and Henry VIII’s niece
11 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Food historian and broadcaster Annie Gray explores the eating habits of Britain’s second-longest reigning monarch and compares them to the typical V...
Martin Luther and the making of the USA
04 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Lyndal Roper explores the life of the father of the Reformation and considers his impact on Protestant history. Meanwhile, we speak to Misha...
The Islamic enlightenment
27 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown interviews Christopher de Bellaigue about his new book The Islamic Enlightenment, which considers how the M...
Historical fiction and a US murder scandal
20 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Philippa Gregory talks to us about her 30-year career as a historical novelist and the history behind bestsellers such as The Other Boleyn Girl and Th...
The ‘Father of History’ and India in the British empire
13 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Paul Cartledge reflects on the work of the Greek author Herodotus, who was born 2,500 years ago and is regarded as the first historian. Mean...
America in World War One and a naval tragedy
06 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
On the centenary of America’s entry into the First World War, historian Adam IP Smith explores the impact of this momentous decision on both the con...
Women in popular history
30 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We gathered a panel of historians – Janina Ramirez, Anna Whitelock, Joann Fletcher and Fern Riddell – to consider the the challenges and opportuni...
Blitzkrieg
23 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Military historian Lloyd Clark challenges a number of myths about the 1940 German invasion of France, in a lecture he delivered at our World War Two d...
Utopias in history and an environmental disaster
16 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and thinker Rutger Bregman discusses his new book Utopia for Realists, exploring examples of how to create a better society. Meanwhile, we spea...
Postwar occupations and Raleigh bicycles
09 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Susan L Carruthers tells the story of American forces who occupied Germany, Japan and other defeated powers after World War Two. Meanwhile, ...
The Reformation
02 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Professor Eamon Duffy joins us to discuss some of the big questions about the religious uphea...
A revolutionary engineer and Victoria’s Indian confidant
23 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist and author Julian Glover describes the life and remarkable career of Georgian engineer Thomas Telford, the subject of his new biography. Me...
The roots of modern rage
16 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and journalist Pankaj Mishra and historian Tom Holland discuss Mishra’s new book, Age of Anger, which explores the origins of the resentments...
The impact of war and a zoological institution
09 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Peter Clarke shares some insights from his new book The Locomotive of War, which considers how conflicts have shaped modern history. Meanwhi...
The Russian revolution and myths of ancient Egypt
02 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Service explores the downfall of tsar Nicholas II while John Romer discusses popular misconceptions about life in ancient Egypt Hosted on Acast...
The history of puzzles and the extraordinary life of Lady Anne Barnard
26 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Bellos explores 2,000 years of puzzles, while Stephen Taylor introduces an unconventional Georgian aristocrat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
The Battle of Britain
19 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In a talk from our 2015 History Weekend at Malmesbury, historian James Holland describes how the Luftwaffe and RAF fought to control the skies over Br...
A history of Istanbul
12 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Bettany Hughes talks to Peter Frankopan about her new book exploring Istanbul's diverse history, from its earliest days through to the uphea...
The big questions of the Holocaust
05 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Historian, author and broadcaster Laurence Rees joins us to discuss his upcoming book The Holocaust: A New History and consider some of the key debate...
The birth of Eurasia
29 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In a talk from our 2016 History Weekend event in Winchester, the renowned archaeologist Barry Cunliffe discusses the subject of his recent book By Ste...
2016 Christmas history quiz
22 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Join the BBC History Magazine team for the return of our annual Christmas history quiz. The quizmaster is QI writer Justin Pollard Hosted on Acast. Se...
Corner shops and Russian ballet
15 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Babita Sharma talks about her new BBC Four documentary 'Booze, Beans and Bhajis: The Story of the Corner Shop', while Simon Morrison explores the colo...
Historians in parliament
08 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Historian-politicians Tristram Hunt, Chris Skidmore, Kwasi Kwarteng and Peter Hennessy explain how their two professions relate to each other. Hosted ...
The attack on Pearl Harbor and physics through the ages
01 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Nicholas Best reflects on the events and aftermath of the 1941 Japanese raid, while Carlo Rovelli discusses his new book 'Reality Is Not What It Seems...
Arts and Crafts and unusual inventors
24 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Rosalind Ormiston discusses an important 19th-century artistic movement, while David Bramwell introduces some of history’s most talented eccentrics....
Soviet science and feeding Britain at war
17 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Ings, author of Stalin and the Scientists, describes how the Bolshevik leaders intervened in scientific research in the USSR. Meanwhile, food wr...
The wartime SAS and Hitler’s drug addiction
10 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Author and broadcaster Ben Macintyre details the extraordinary activities of the Special Air Service in the fight against the Axis, based on research ...
Black British history and Charles I’s children
03 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga explores Britain’s often forgotten links with the people of Africa. Meanwhile, historical author Linda Porte...
Reporting from war zones
27 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
John Simpson, the BBC’s World Affairs Editor, reflects on his 50 years of reporting from conflicts all over the globe. Plus, he considers how life f...
The Aberfan disaster and women who made history
24 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, historian and producer Steve Humphries talks about how the Welsh village has coped with t...
The Norman Conquest
13 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the 950th anniversary of the battle of Hastings, medieval historian Marc Morris tells the story of William the Conqueror’s dramatic v...
Lenin and the Russian revolutions
06 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Catherine Merridale recounts the future Soviet leader’s famous 1917 train journey across Europe to Petrograd, where the took command of the Bolshevi...
Historical television and the battle of Flodden
29 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Tony Robinson discusses his new autobiography, No Cunning Plan, and the impact of shows such as Time Team and Blackadder. Meanwhile, Dr Katie Stevenso...
Women in politics and Robinson Crusoe
22 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Julie V Gottlieb charts the progression from the Suffragettes to Theresa May and Hillary Clinton, while Andrew Lambert tells the story of a Pacific is...
Cold War summits
15 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Historians David Reynolds and Kristina Spohr discuss their new book about the postwar meetings between international leaders that aimed to control the...
Poldark and historical TV drama
08 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As the smash-hit series Poldark returns to our screens, its historical advisor, Hannah Greig and Horrible Histories historian Greg Jenner join us to d...
The end of the First World War and the Duke of Wellington
01 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Robert Gerwarth discusses his new book The Vanquished, which shows how Europe continued to be beset by violence long after 1918. Meanwhile, ...
The Great Fire of London
25 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the 350th anniversary of the 1666 blaze, historical author Alexander Larman describes how the inferno devastated London. Meanwhile, we ...
The Suez crisis and the north of England
18 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Alex von Tunzelmann reflects on the dramatic events that took place in the middle east and Hungary 60 years ago. Meanwhile, we sp...
The 1920s: Roaring or tame?
11 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Historian, author and broadcaster Kate Williams explores the key developments of the early interwar period, in this talk that was delivered at our 201...
The Cold War and the history of philosophy
04 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Rory Cormac guides us around York Cold War Bunker, which was designed to monitor the fallout of a nuclear attack. Meanwhile, we speak to historian ...
Jacobites and the Ancient World
29 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jacqueline Riding describes the events of the 1745 rebellion, while Michael Scott explains how ancient cultures across the globe managed to interact w...
Two King Edwards
21 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Davenport-Hines and Piers Brendon, authors of new biographies of Edward VII and Edward VIII, discuss the two kings’ contrasting lives and re...
Paris’s women at war and the Housewives’ League
14 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Anne Sebba talks to us about her new book, Les Parisiennes, which explores how women of Paris fared under Nazi occupation. Meanwhile, we catch up with...
Britain’s Second World War and the Country House
07 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Daniel Todman talks to us about his new book: Britain's War: Into Battle, 1937-1941. Meanwhile, we are joined by historian Adrian Tinniswood to dis...
Battle of the Somme special
30 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As we approach the centenary of the 1916 clash, we speak to Hugh Sebag-Montefiore, author of Somme: Into the Breach. Meanwhile, Jonathan Ruffle of gbf...
The Radium Girls and the cotton revolution
23 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Moore describes the tragic story of a group of women who were exposed to radium in 20th-century America, while Terry Wyke visits a key site from ...
Wolfson History Prizes: Nazi camps and St Augustine
16 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Robin Lane Fox and Nikolaus Wachsmann talk about their award-winning books: Augustine: Conversions and Confessions and KL: A History of the Nazi Conce...
Operation Barbarossa
09 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As we near the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s assault on the Soviet Union, Antony Beevor explores this pivotal moment in the Second World War Ho...
Tudor monarchs and a Medieval civil war
02 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Tracy Borman reveals the secret lives of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Mary Tudor et al, while Nicholas Vincent describes the events of Simon de Montfort’...
Writing history in the 21st century
26 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Four leading historians discuss the big developments in book publishing since the launch of BBC History Magazine back in May 2000 Hosted on Acast. See...
The battle of Jutland and 1950s domestic dangers
19 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Admiral Lord West describes a crucial First World War naval clash, while Suzannah Lipscomb tells us about her new BBC documentary: Hidden Killers of t...
A Victorian murder and a ship that made history
12 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Summerscale, author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, tells us about her new book, which investigates another shocking 19th-century crime. Meanwhi...
Sykes-Picot and a 17th-century polymath
05 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
On the centenary of the Sykes-Picot agreement, historian Catriona Pennell reflects on this secret 1916 Anglo-French agreement to divide up the Middle ...
The history of consumerism and Chinese philosophy
28 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Trentmann explores how our patterns of consumption have changed over the centuries, while Christine Gross-Loh discusses the legacy of ancient Ch...
Shakespeare’s world and cricket in South Africa
21 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Wilson-Lee looks at how the playwright’s work became celebrated on a global scale, while Dean Allen recounts the story of a pioneering Britis...
Student life and working class culture
14 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Our own Ellie Cawthorne talks about her new BBC Radio 4 series that focuses on 900 years of higher education. Meanwhile, author and broadcaster Stuart...
Charles II and an Atlantic experiment
07 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Clare Jackson talks about her new biography of the 17th-century king, which is part of the Penguin Monarchs series. Meanwhile, BBC radio pre...
The Dissolution and a forgotten colony
31 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Adam Morton visits Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire to explore the events of Henry VIII’s assault on the monasteries. Meanwhile, historian and author...
Democracy and an age of genius
24 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Classicist Paul Cartledge heads back to Ancient Greece to explore the roots of mass participation in politics. Meanwhile, we speak to philosopher AC G...
The Easter Rising and a Victorian heyday
17 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Heather Jones explores the dramatic rebellion of 1916, while Ben Wilson explains why the 1850s was such a transformative decade Hosted on Acast. See a...
Muslims and Jews in the 16th century
10 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Historian Jerry Brotton describes how Elizabethan England formed an important relationship with the Islamic world. He then goes on to tell the story o...
The Holy Roman Empire and Capability Brown
03 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Peter Wilson discusses his new book The Holy Roman Empire: A Thousand Years of Europe's History. Meanwhile, garden historian Sarah Rutherfor...
Middle East history special
25 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Kanishk Tharoor and Maryam Maruf, the presenter and producer of the new radio series Museum of Lost Objects, highlight some of the antiquities that ha...
Verdun and the Renaissance
18 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Professor David Reynolds describes the Battle of Verdun, which pitched French and German forces against each other in one of the bloodiest episodes of...
Benjamin Franklin in London
11 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
George Goodwin discusses the American Founding Father’s years in the British capital, on location at Benjamin Franklin House Hosted on Acast. See ac...
The battle over Henry VIII’s will
04 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Tudor expert Dr Suzannah Lipscomb talks to fellow historian Dan Jones about a remarkable 16th-century document. The king's will had great ramification...
The Romanovs and King Arthur
28 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore talks to us about his new book that chronicles the remarkable Russian ruling dynasty. Meanwhile, archaeolo...
A global view of history
21 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In a talk from our 2015 History Weekend event at Malmesbury, historian Michael Scott argues that we need to bring the histories of China, Greece, Ind...
Postwar Germany and medieval CSI
14 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Lara Feigel talks to us about her new book, The Bitter Taste of Victory: In the Ruins of the Reich, which shows how the Allies used culture to try ...